Nastia Liukin talks Hall of Fame, new Chuck Wicks music video Special

Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin chatted with Digital Journal chatted about her induction into the International Gymnastics Hall Of Fame, and appearing in the new Chuck Wicks music video.

Nastia Liukin

Photo courtesy of Nastia Liukin, used with permission.

On being recognized by the International Gymnastics Hall Of Fame, Liukin said, "It was so amazing. I remember when my father got inducted. Apparently, we are the only father and daughter duo to date, so it was really special. I remember being there when he got inducted, and back then, I thought it would be really awesome if maybe one day I could be in his shoes getting inducted as well. To be there with both of my parents was really incredible."

Liukin is featured in country singer Chuck Wicks' forthcoming music video for "Better Than Flowers." "It was a lot of fun," she admitted. "Chuck and I have been friends for about three years now. It was my first music video, so I didn't know what to expect, but obviously, knowing Chuck was a lot of fun."

Throughout her career in gymnastics, she won five Olympic medals for Team USA, including one gold medal in the women's all-around at the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. "That was something I was obviously dreaming about for so many years, especially to compete at the Olympics and represent Team USA. Looking back at it now, it has been 10 years, and it feels very surreal to me," she said. "That moment when I stood on the podium included a lot of flashbacks on my journey and everything I went through to get to that point: such as the injuries, the obstacles and the people that helped me along the way. It was surreal."

On her daily motivations, Liukin said, "For me, it has always been really important to set goals for myself, whether the goals mean life goals or life goals or work goals. That way, you are striving to achieve something on a day-to-day basis. That keeps me going every day."

Presently, she is working on her app Grander, which is a global community to inspire the next generation of female athletes by connecting them to their mentors. "It has been really fun for me. That has been a huge passion of mine to give back, and hopefully, inspire the next generation," she said. "Also, the Tokyo Olympics are coming up and I commentate for NBC. That is something I enjoy doing as well."

For young gymnastics, Liukin's advice is to persevere. "Never quit or give up on a bad day, and that has always stuck with me, not just in gymnastics, but also in so many instances in life," she said.

Liukin continued, "I started gymnastics because I truly loved the sport. I never realized that it would turn into a career, by any means. It is very surreal to think what I was able to achieve in my gymnastics career, has given me the life that I have today."

"Thank you to the fans for their support," Liukin said, graciously. "I never imagined that this is the life that I would have today. I am thankful for all of the support that everybody has given me over the years."

The esteemed gymnast defined the word success as follows" "Success is not necessarily determined by the amount of medals or the job that you have, or how much money you make. It is about finding what you like to do and your passion, and being a good person and having a good heart."

Digital transformation of gymnastics

On the impact of technology on gymnastics and sports, she said, "When I competed in the Olympics in 2008, we didn't have an Instagram or a Twitter. Technology has changed it so much in the sense of social media. What they are able to do when I commentate, and with replays or scoring, it has definitely evolved quite a bit. Also, technology has evolved in training with tools and techniques, and other different things. A lot of these things didn't exist when I was competing in the Olympics. It is really cool to see how much more these athletes are able to do with their training and recovery."

While she noted that she has never used GoPro on herself, she admitted that she used Dartfish, for video analysis, especially for replays and slow motion. "You are able to put two videos side by side or on top of each other, so that was really great for helping to master technique and skills," she said.

To learn more about Olympian and motivational speaker Nastia Liukin, check out her official homepage.